


Coffee Rings

by silver_drip



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Coffee, F/M, Letters, Loki-centric, Love at First Sight, M/M, Stalker!Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 12:04:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2772353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even before his self-imposed exile Loki always felt alone, but that changed after he first saw Tony Stark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Loki had chosen Midgard for his self imposed exile. He knew his mother wouldn’t be too happy about it, but sometimes… it was all too much.

He’d rather just spend a decade or two on his own, without his father’s looks of disapproval or Thor’s comments. After his brother’s coronation Thor had only became more pigheaded. Loki almost wished that he had come up with some scheme or another to ruin his big day.

Truly there was no one there for him besides his mother…

At least this realm had good food and plenty of things to distract him. 

He had only been in New York for two months, but he already loved it.

Midgard was an interesting place and Loki was surprised by how much the contrast didn’t bother him. Asgard was slow and orderly. The humans were constantly on the move, somehow creating order out of the chaos of their everyday interactions.

He sat apart from all of it, cupping a warm mug of tea as he watched them. That was nothing new though. He was always alone, always different. At least in this foreign place he had an excuse as to why he didn’t quite fit in.

Loki felt so talented, yet completely unloved. Once again, that was nothing new to him.

When he had arrived in this realm he had bought the coffee shop outright. The one bedroom apartment above it was a perfect fit for him.

Midgard also had something that Asgard didn’t, seasons. Fall had just ended and with it the colorful leaves. It was snowing today. It never snowed in Asgard. Loki rather liked the snow. It somehow made his tea taste even better.

He was sitting in the corner of his shop staring out the window, hidden from view yet able to see every human that passed by. One in particular was moving faster than the others, weaving through the crowd and wearing sunglasses despite the gloomy weather.

Loki was briefly surprised when the human ducked into his shop and hid from view. A moment later a group of people with cameras turned the corner the human had came from.

Amanda, the barista that had already been working at the coffee shop before Loki bought it, let out a squeak causing the other human to put a single finger over his lips, beckoning her to stay silent. She covered her mouth with her hand, making Loki tense up. Was this mortal some sort of criminal?

Loki had a dagger in his hand by the time the human lowered his sunglasses and peaked out the window. Loki’s grip loosened when the mortal let out a relieved sigh.

“That was a close one.” The human said with an easy going confidence that caught Loki off guard. He hooked his sunglasses on the front pocket of his suit jacket while walking to the counter. “Thanks for keeping me safe from those vultures.” He gave Amanda a winning smile before glancing up at the menu that was written in chalk behind her.

“No problem Mr. Stark. How may I service yo- I mean how may I help you?” Amanda’s face became a startling shade of red. The mortal, Mr. Stark, laughed yet somehow smiled in a manner that caused Amanda to relax.

Loki cocked his head to the side slightly, watching their interaction with poorly veiled confusion.

“Black coffee please.” He leaned in slightly and she mirrored the movement. “I’d also love to sample some of the finer delicacies here, but it seems that you’re on the clock.” Amanda blushed again, her face somehow getting even redder.

“Yes, well- Uh, I’d prefer to be on your _clock_ , but my boss is watching.” Amanda nodded in the god’s direction and Loki looked away quickly, his head suddenly feeling strange. He wanted to bite his lip to fend off his sudden bout of anxiousness. He could feel the mortal’s eyes on him and for some reason Loki felt his own face flush with heat. Loki could tell the mortal turned away, yet the strange feelings remained, making him feel unsettled yet strangely thrilled.

“Well, if I can’t have you,” there was a brief pause, “Amanda, a pair of madeleines with my coffee to go will have to do.” Loki discreetly looked over to him and the feeling somehow intensified. He had to quickly look away or risk acting on impulse. “And please keep the change. It’s the very least I can do since you saved me.”

“This is way too much…” There was a quiver in Amanda’s voice and Loki just had to look over at the pair. She was staring at the counter and Loki couldn’t see how much money Mr. Stark had put down.

“It really isn’t though. You just made my day a hell of a lot better. People are too selfish, but you helped me out even though you could have made a pretty penny by calling the reporters in.” For some reason Loki’s heart was racing. “It’s the small things that people always overlook that mean the most in my opinion. Thanks for being my hero.” He was smiling again and Loki couldn’t breathe. Amanda quickly shuffled to the coffee percolator.

“That’s kind of ironic coming from Iron Man.” Amanda mumbled, not looking up from her task. Mr. Stark leaned on the counter watching her closely.

“It’s the people behind the scenes that make everything happen. Without my CEO Ms. Potts I would have been dead years ago. You remind me of her. Being a barista is an underappreciated job considering you give out the nectar of the gods. Ms. Potts started out as my personal assistant. It took me way too long to realize how important and hard working she was. Now she’s at the top of the corporate ladder and couldn’t be happier.” Amanda handed him his drink and pastries. “Don’t let the world or other people get you down.” There was a sudden beep and Mr. Stark pulled out a phone from his pocket. “That’s my ride.” He glanced back up at Amanda. “Seriously, you’re a hero, even if no one else sees it yet.”

“Thank you.” Amanda whispered. The strange man turned to leave while nodding response with a soft smile.

As he passed by the god their eyes met for a split second before he walked outside and into a waiting car.

Loki sat stunned and in complete silence. He looked down at his mug of tea, feeling lightheaded.

Had he just fallen in love?

 


	2. Chapter 2

Loki nearly knocked over his mug of tea in his haste to get over to the front counter. Amanda reeled backwards.

“Who was that?” Loki asked, doing his best to restrain himself.

“How do you not know who Tony Stark is?” Amanda asked while staring at the hundred dollar bill in her hands. Loki slapped his hand on the counter, making her flinch.

“Who is _he_?” Loki felt like his heart was about to break out of his chest and follow the car that had just driven away.

“Are you serious? That’s Tony Stark- _The_ Iron Man, bajillionaire, sex god, and most sought after cock in the country. Have you been in a cave for the past decade?” Amanda chuckled with an incredulous look in her eyes.

Loki let out an almost animalistic squeak that startled the both of them. Without a word he quickly ran upstairs to his small apartment, pulling out the laptop he had bought during his second week of living in Midgard.

He typed Tony Stark’s name into the search engineer and a thousand and one different articles popped up. His eyes flitted about trying to learn everything about his love as soon as possible.

Former weapons manufacturer, kidnapped, Victoria’s Secret Angels, Forbes 500, Virginia Potts.

His eyes froze on a single line: _Tony Stark and Virginia Potts, Power Couple of the Year._

Tony was already with someone, someone that wasn’t him!

That made no sense what so ever.

Clearly either the website was mistaken or she was somehow tricking him into staying with her.

He quickly typed the harpy of a woman’s name in.

Virginia Potts, also known as Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s former personal assistant. Well clearly there was the answer. Obviously she was using some sort of blackmail to keep him. The harlot.

Loki let out a huff of distaste.

Whatever evil spell she had him under or whatever secret she was using against him… Loki would figure it out. It was honestly the least he could do for Tony.

Loki began gnawing on his lip as he read more articles about his Tony.

None of this made any sense.

Article after article made it clear that Tony only slept with women-

Oh, now it made sense.

“He was just waiting for me.” Loki blushed and hid his face away. He felt that strange buzz in his chest again, like he was about to float away and explode into a million sparkles that tasted like candy and smelled like summer.

Oh but how could he get his Tony away from that viper of a woman? Clearly he couldn’t kill her. If it was that simple Tony would have already done that for himself.

“Sometimes the hero needed saving.” Loki nodded to himself, briefly imagining showing up in his armor and squashing Pepper’s face beneath his finely crafted boots. He dispelled the image quickly.

How could he save his Tony? Loki was just a lowly mage, albeit a mage that was better than any other mage-

Of course he never fit in with the other Aesir. His place was never in Asgard, it was here.

Loki scrolled through more articles his mind shooting all around. He could always just teleport himself to one of his residences, but Pepper might be there and who knows what she would do. Besides, he didn’t want to startle Tony. He might just become as overwhelmed as Loki felt. Loki could barely handle all these emotions and he was an Aesir. Surely a mortal wouldn’t be able to handle it.

How could he get close slowly…

Loki played with the mouse pad of his brand new laptop, watching the little arrow dance about.

It seemed like the only ones who got to interact with Tony were reporters, those who worked for him, or those who owned large corporations.

It looked like Tony hated those pesky reporters.

Loki couldn’t be his subordinate. That would just make them both feel awkward.

And if Loki had clout in this realm then he could finally push that witch out of Tony’s life and save him from whatever evil spell she had him under.

So he just had to run a multibillion dollar corporation. That shouldn’t be too difficult.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki had to reassure his love that everything was alright, that he saw him, and that he was going to save him. Loki was certain that he was just as distressed as Loki was feeling. Seeing the one you love and being unable to go to him… his poor Tony.

Loki rolled around in bed, bundling up as he stared out the window. It was snowing again. It had only been 24 hours since they met. Every second away from him felt like a stab to the heart.

But how could he get in contact with Tony without that ugly quim finding out? Surely she was watching his every move closely, making sure she didn’t lose the best man in all nine realms.

Loki snuggled up to his pillow, wishing it was Tony in his arms.

He still wasn’t certain what kind of business he wanted to start. Definitely something having to do with technology. Tony loved technology after all. Loki just wanted to make him happy. When they were finally together Loki wanted to give his corporation to Tony, so it had to be useful to him.

Loki tossed an empty mug into the air as he laid on his back, thinking.

He had plenty of capital to start up any sort of business he wanted to, and anything he didn’t have he could easily steal or just trick someone out of.

Loki considered just taking over someone else’s business, but he didn’t want to give Tony something that he didn’t make himself. That would just be disrespectful and rude. He didn’t want Tony to think that he was belittling their love.

He threw the mug even higher, almost touching the ceiling. It landed in his hand softly. He turned back onto his stomach, holding the mug close. It smelled like coffee, his whole apartment smelled faintly of it. It was a pleasant scent.

Finally Loki stood up.

First things first. He needed a printer. Only seeing Tony on the computer screen was torture. He needed something a little more real to keep his heart from breaking. He’d only print out a few pictures, nothing drastic.

He’d also pick up some lovely stationary and the best pen he could find. Writing Tony a letter to reassure him seemed like the best course of action. He doubted that harpy would think to check his mail.

He should probably pick up a better computer too. The one he had bought on a whim was useful, but he had a feeling that he needed something with more power and capacity. He wasn’t one to half-ass anything, especially not something as important as this.

Loki quickly changed out of his Aesir lounge wear and into human street clothes, simple, simple, simple with a lovely green scarf that he had bought while looking for a proper place to stay. Of course his magic would land him in New York where is soulmate lived. Perhaps he should buy Tony a scarf too, one in red, but no. He had to start out small with just a letter so as not to alert Tony’s jailor. Once Tony saw it was him surely he’d go to great lengths to keep her from finding out.

Loki gave a brief wave to Amanda as he left the shop. He looked up at the grey sky once he was outside, loving the way the snowflakes felt on his skin. With the flick of his hand he swept away the ice from the front steps of his coffee shop. It would do him no good to have a human get hurt at his establishment. Tony was a hero. He valued life.

Devastation suddenly set in, almost knocking Loki off his feet. Tony was a human. Humans were mortal. They died. Tony was going to die. That was entirely unacceptable. Loki would have to sneak him a golden apple, but that meant going home. Mother would be pleased, but Thor would be so obnoxious. Loki would just have to slip in and out unseen.

That was a task for another day though. He needed to reassure Tony as soon as possible and start making hundred, thousands, millions, and finally billions of dollars.

Computer, printer, stationary, and an exquisite pen were what he needed first. Oh, and a cell phone so he could stay up to date with what Tony was doing even when he was out and about.

A computer store was easy enough to find. He bought the best one there along with a very nice printer with both glossy paper for pictures and standard paper for anything else he needed to print. He gave them his address and paid extra to have it delivered later that day. The store also sold cell phones. After examining the different ones thoroughly he bought one he could both conduct business on and look up more articles about Tony. He could also download delightful little games to play while he planned his next move.

Finding a good stationary store was a bit more difficult, but his new phone was lots of help.

There were so many options. He fretted about. After an hour and a half he settled on an off white set that had a simple golden designed engraved on the very top. The envelope was equally as simple with just a touch of regality that spoke to Loki on so many levels. Tony would love it.

He bought a few different pens, planning on trying them all out before choosing which one to write to his love with.

The store clerk reminded him that he needed stamps. He thanked her repeatedly before paying and heading back to his apartment. His mind was filled with a thousand different things he could write to Tony. He had to be subtle though, just in case that harlot got her boney fingers on the letter before Tony could see it.

He greeted Joshua, another one of his baristas when he got back. The young man was very polite and did his job well. Loki was certain to pay them above the average wage to be certain they did their best.

Loki grabbed himself a fresh mug of coffee before heading upstairs.

He had immense fun trying out the different pens, writing Tony’s names over and over until he chose and pen and his love’s name looked even more perfect than it already was.

Loki took in a deep calming breath as he pulled out a single sheet of stationary and began writing.

_Tony,_

A sudden knock on his door startled Loki so badly that he knocked over his coffee and almost fell out of his seat. He tried saving the lovely piece of paper, but the coffee had already ruined it. Loki wiped away his tears at his failure before righting his mug and going to the door.

It was the computer and printer he had ordered earlier. He signed for the items while pouting. He’d set them up later.

Loki quickly cleaned up the mess on his writing desk before getting out a fresh piece of stationary.

_Tony,_

_Everything is going to be alright. Please be happy._

It was a simple message, but it conveyed everything Loki wanted to say to him under a fort of blankets and in a bed so comfortable that neither of them wanted to leave.

Loki frowned slightly, uncertain how he wanted to sign his love letter. He had to be careful. That damn wench Pepper…

Loki let out a little huff of annoyance, his eyes glancing around. They settled on his now empty mug sitting by the sink. He wondered over to it, lifting it slightly. In its wake was a simple circle of coffee. It was perfect. A secret language that only the two of them knew.

With a gleeful little smile Loki went back over to his letter. He carefully stamped the bottom right corner of the stationary with his mug, leaving behind a perfect coffee ring.


End file.
